After A. I. Root moved out in 1878 the names that this place is really known for started to move in. The first people to move in was a dry goods store called Gensemers. This place was a lot like the O. C. Shepard store that was here as one of the original location owners. This again was like a grocery store, only thing is that it was not as much of a major trading post but more as just a place to buy the foods you needed.
After Gensemer's moved out the location was bought and owned by the company that most people recognized it for. This company was Ziegler's. They were the longest lasting owner of the storefront. They were a clothes manufacturing company. In the beginning they really started off kinda small and really only sold a small variety of clothes to the public. But as time went on they really started to expand their horizons on the different types of items that they sold. They altered their inventory as the times changed. They did so well that they were able to expand the volume of the store to the many floors and the massive space that you see today. At one time they were jokingly considered Medina's economy.
This picture shows the Ziegler's department store after it remodeled and shows other stores on Court Street that had gone back to their orginal style of architecture. The building still remains much the same today as it used to in the 1970's. #7
The reason that it was so well is because it was able to keep up with the trends of the ever changing U.S. market. As people wanted more and more different things, Ziegler's was able to give it to them. They went through many periods of social reform and people really wanted to keep up with the style that was going on around them. The more flashy side of the United States was shown through how they put up the fake fronts in order to attract more attention to their store. Then when people of Medina started to convert the square back to its Victorian style, Ziegler's was again able to keep up with the times and change back to what the consumers wanted.
Ziegler's department store is packed behind cars as well as many stores are in this 1945 Court Street photo. At this time in 1945, the store had not yet taken over the building to it's left, and was only one building wide at this time. After it expanded, a large sign would be placed across the two buildings with "Ziegler's" printed in a fancy cursive righting. #6
The Ziegler's deparmant store, along with many other stores on the square during the fifties had a rather large, flashy sign to attract customers. The stores would later go back to their original victorian style architecture. #5
After Gensemer's moved out the location was bought and owned by the company that most people recognized it for. This company was Ziegler's. They were the longest lasting owner of the storefront. They were a clothes manufacturing company. In the beginning they really started off kinda small and really only sold a small variety of clothes to the public. But as time went on they really started to expand their horizons on the different types of items that they sold. They altered their inventory as the times changed. They did so well that they were able to expand the volume of the store to the many floors and the massive space that you see today. At one time they were jokingly considered Medina's economy.